Grants Available to Local Charities

Community West Foundation is pleased to award quarterly grants to charitable agencies in our community. Grants are awarded following a review process by our Board of Directors and Grants Committee.

Nonprofit colleagues interested in applying for a grant should bear in mind the procedure and schedule below.

2018 Grant Schedule and Procedures

Who May Apply

Grant applications will be accepted only from organizations that are qualified as tax exempt and charitable entities under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Funding will be limited to organizations located in Greater Western Cleveland, usually for one year only, and no funding is available for capital needs, endowments, grades K through 12 school programs or individuals.

Submitting an Initial Letter of Intent

Interested organizations may initiate a grant application process with a Letter of Intent to:

David T. Dombrowiak, President and CEO, Community West Foundation800 Sharon Drive, Suite C Westlake, Ohio 44145

The letter of intent should be single spaced and not more than two pages. Specific emphasis should be placed on how an identified community need will be met through the program for which funding is being requested. The letter should contain:

Grant Applications are by invitation only. The Grants Committee will review the Letter of Intent and if selected for further consideration, the organization will be invited to complete the required application form, as well as the items identified below. A well-defined budget will be required for all grant proposals, with the intended use of Foundation funds clearly identified. In addition, the goals of the project, program or service must be laid out specifically along with the methods that will be used to judge how effectively those goals are being met.

A project leader must be identified in all requests for support. This individual will be responsible for all reporting requirements in connection with grants awarded by the Community West Foundation.

Interim and final reports on the use of a Foundation grant to support a project, program or service must be completed by the project leader(s) and submitted to the Foundation for evaluation purposes. No further grants will be made to any organization that fails to submit the required reports.

In addition to providing the requested documentation, the application process may also require interviews of project leadership by the staff and/or Board representatives of the Community West Foundation.

(Note: Applicants must open grant application form in Adobe Acrobat Reader and select "fill and sign" to type into the form fields.)

Any public announcement by an agency of a Foundation grant must be approved by the Foundation President prior to its release. Similarly, the use of the Foundation's name in annual reports, news releases or other communications designed for wide public dissemination should be cleared with the President prior to use in writing.